This invention relates generally to the field of child products, and in particular to bibs. More specifically, the invention relates to the use of bibs that are attached to neck pillows.
Bibs have long been used to protect a child from food, saliva, or the like. Bibs are typically constructed of a piece of material that is coupled about the child""s neck using a pair of strings or other fastener, such as snaps or a VELCRO fastener material. This invention is related to other ways to secure a bib to a child.
The invention provides techniques for securing a bib to a person, such as child or an infant, in a manner such that the bib may easily be removed when needed. In one embodiment, a neck pillow comprises a pillow body having a medical region and two opposing arms that extend from the medial region to form a generally open well. A bib is coupled to the pillow body. In this way, the bib may be secured to the child simply by inserting the arms around the child""s neck. As such, the bib is both easy to put on and to remove. By using a neck pillow, the child""s head is also supported.
In one aspect, the pillow body includes an outer periphery and an inner periphery that defines the well. With such a configuration, the bib may be coupled to the medial region at the outer periphery. In this way, the arms may be placed about the child""s neck so that ends of the arms are at the back of the neck while the medial region is at the front of the neck. In this manner, the bib hangs vertically down over the child""s chest.
The bib may be constructed of a flexible material to permit the bib to hang from the pillow body. For example, the bib may comprise a sheet of plastic or fabric. In one aspect, the bib may have a length of about 5 in to about 10 in, and is configured to hang below the pillow body by a distance of about 3 in to about 8 in, although in some cases the bib could be longer.
In one particular aspect, the pillow body may comprise a fill material that is covered by a fabric cover. Such a fabric cover may be constructed of two halves that are sewn together to form seam lines extending around the outer periphery and the inner periphery. With such a configuration, the bib may be sewn to the seam at the outer periphery.
In one alternative, the bib may be removably coupled to the pillow body by at least one fastener. For example, the bib may be coupled to the pillow body by snaps, a hook and loop fastener material, buttons, or the like. In this way, the bib may be removed for cleaning or replacement.
In another aspect, the arms may be curved such that their ends generally face each other. In this way, the ends may be pulled apart from each other when placing the arms about the child""s neck. In a further aspect, the largest dimension across the well is in the range from about 2.5 in to about 4 in so that the neck pillow is suitable for use with a child. In some cases, the well size could be larger for larger individuals.